Lviv (Ukraine) (AFP)

Too febrile in defense, Saint-Etienne, who led 2-0 to 10 minutes from the end, conceded a disappointing draw in overtime against the Ukrainian club Olexandriya (2-2), Thursday in match of the 4th day Europa League.

The Greens, third in Group I with three points, two lengths from the second Wolfsburg, still have a chance to qualify.

They will receive, on November 28, for a meeting of new capital, the Belgian team of La Gantoise, leader of the group after his victory over the German club (3-1). And will face Wolfsburg on the last day in a possible duel for the qualification.

Facing a Ukrainian opponent who had a draw in the first leg (1-1), Wahbi Khazri gave the advantage to ASSE by turning a penalty (24th) for a foul, committed on himself, the guardian Yuri Pankiv.

Twenty minutes from the end, the young Mahdi Camara (21), trained at the club and entered in the place of Robert Beric (55), scored 2-0 by misleading Pankiv a point after a service of Denis Bouanga (72nd).

Despite this lead of two goals, the Greens, suffering from halftime, have never controlled anything and sharing points between the two clubs seems justified.

In the first half, already, two decisive parries of goalkeeper Stéphane Ruffier on attempts by Yevhen Banada (15th, 19th) were decisive while, for his part, Robert Beric was close to bringing the score to 2-0 on a shot passing little by little (28th).

Subsequently, Saint-Etienne was not at all dangerous, except on the goal of Camara in a meeting of a very average level.

The entry of the latter, a midfielder, replacing an attacker, set the tone of the priorities of Claude Puel: maintain his lead in a second period totally dominated by the Ukrainian club.

Olexandriya even thought he had equalized by Banada after a free kick, granted for an unobvious foul of Zaydou Youssouf on Kovalets at the entrance to the penalty area and denied for offside (68th).

At the end of the game, the Ukrainian team nevertheless logically narrowed the gap with a goal from Denys Bezborodko (83) scored at close range after a center Kyrylo Kovalets and put under pressure until the end the defense Etienne.

It finally cracked with a goal from Maksym Zaderaka who took advantage of the action of a missed aerial exit Stéphane Ruffier (90 + 1).

© 2019 AFP